Most Australians would dismiss any talk of "fair play" or of "the spirit of the game" or of "sportsmanship" as the talk of "losers" or, at best, hopelessly old-fashioned. A deliberate aggressiveness is thought to be the key to success and, when victory is won, an excessive triumphalism is expected as the appropriate Australian response.

And, if a David Warner or Nick Kyrgios is criticised for bad behaviour, most Australians would defend them and their actions as long as they win - indeed, as with sledging, the bad behaviour is seen as an essential part of a winning strategy.

None of this might matter if it were a purely sporting phenomenon. But attitudes such as these, seen in sport, are (predictably enough, given the important place occupied by sport in Australian society) sadly reflective of the attitudes that increasingly imbue Australian society as a whole.

Individual Australians can be the nicest people in the world, but I am sure I am not alone in having noticed an increasing intolerance of other views, an unwillingness to consider the interest of others, and a harder-edged nationalism in the voice and face that Australia now displays to the rest of the world, and not least to their friends.

Individual Australians can be the nicest people in the world, but I am sure I am not alone in having noticed an increasing intolerance of other views, an unwillingness to consider the interest of others, and a harder-edged nationalism in the voice and face that Australia now displays to the rest of the world, and not least to their friends.

Look, call me intolerant and unwilling to consider the interests of others but I think this bloke is a bit of a cunt.

On a slight tangent, the missus and I have been watching a lot of house renovation shows at the moment as we are about to start building a house ourselves...and one of the oddities we've come across (given that NZ doesn't really do any of it's own shows, and instead imports from Aus, UK and USA) is how mean the Ozzie's are.

Invariably, theses show start with a house that's a bit rundown, and then some experts come along and fixes it up. So far, so similar...but in a twist, when the Aussie experts turn up, instead of being polite, they just laugh in the face of the people they are there to help. They get properly stuck in, having a go at the shitty house that the people have, in many cases, lovingly raised their family in.

I find it a bit bizarre really. Even if what they are saying is technically true...you'd expect people to be a bit more tactful (as they invariably are in the UK and US versions).

On a slight tangent, the missus and I have been watching a lot of house renovation shows at the moment as we are about to start building a house ourselves...and one of the oddities we've come across (given that NZ doesn't really do any of it's own shows, and instead imports from Aus, UK and USA) is how mean the Ozzie's are.

Invariably, theses show start with a house that's a bit rundown, and then some experts come along and fixes it up. So far, so similar...but in a twist, when the Aussie experts turn up, instead of being polite, they just laugh in the face of the people they are there to help. They get properly stuck in, having a go at the shitty house that the people have, in many cases, lovingly raised their family in.

I find it a bit bizarre really. Even if what they are saying is technically true...you'd expect people to be a bit more tactful (as they invariably are in the UK and US versions).

Individual Australians can be the nicest people in the world, but I am sure I am not alone in having noticed an increasing intolerance of other views, an unwillingness to consider the interest of others, and a harder-edged nationalism in the voice and face that Australia now displays to the rest of the world, and not least to their friends.

Look, call me intolerant and unwilling to consider the interests of others but I think this bloke is a bit of a cunt.

Individual Australians can be the nicest people in the world, but I am sure I am not alone in having noticed an increasing intolerance of other views, an unwillingness to consider the interest of others, and a harder-edged nationalism in the voice and face that Australia now displays to the rest of the world, and not least to their friends.

Look, call me intolerant and unwilling to consider the interests of others but I think this bloke is a bit of a cunt.

Individual Australians can be the nicest people in the world, but I am sure I am not alone in having noticed an increasing intolerance of other views, an unwillingness to consider the interest of others, and a harder-edged nationalism in the voice and face that Australia now displays to the rest of the world, and not least to their friends.

Look, call me intolerant and unwilling to consider the interests of others but I think this bloke is a bit of a cunt.

Looks like a stick up his arse.

Let's hope he was at Auckland airport displaying his welcome home face to these friends:

Notoriously violent Mongrel Mob street gang members booted back to New Zealand as they try to grow their crew

By Ben Hill10 March 2018

A notorious street gang looking to set up in Australia has had its members kicked out of the country.

... The Mongrel Mob has attempted to gain a foothold in Perth by moving members to the city from other Australian chapters or from New Zealand.

The gang also has its own Facebook page, 'Mongrel Mob Australia', featuring photos of heavily-tattooed gang members riding motorcycles.

Police have been working to identify members of the gang who are not Australian citizens and can therefore be targeted for deportation.

One of the gang members to be deported was senior leader Joe Edmonds who was caught at Perth Airport in 2017 trying to bring gang uniforms into Western Australia.

His visa was cancelled on 'character grounds' and he was put on a plane back to New Zealand.

Australian Border Force WA regional commander Rod O'Donnell said they wanted to protect the community from 'violent' gangs ...

Individual Australians can be the nicest people in the world, but I am sure I am not alone in having noticed an increasing intolerance of other views, an unwillingness to consider the interest of others, and a harder-edged nationalism in the voice and face that Australia now displays to the rest of the world, and not least to their friends.

Look, call me intolerant and unwilling to consider the interests of others but I think this bloke is a bit of a cunt.

Looks like a stick up his arse.

Let's hope he was at Auckland airport displaying his welcome home face to these friends:

Notoriously violent Mongrel Mob street gang members booted back to New Zealand as they try to grow their crew

By Ben Hill10 March 2018

A notorious street gang looking to set up in Australia has had its members kicked out of the country.

... The Mongrel Mob has attempted to gain a foothold in Perth by moving members to the city from other Australian chapters or from New Zealand.

The gang also has its own Facebook page, 'Mongrel Mob Australia', featuring photos of heavily-tattooed gang members riding motorcycles.

Police have been working to identify members of the gang who are not Australian citizens and can therefore be targeted for deportation.

One of the gang members to be deported was senior leader Joe Edmonds who was caught at Perth Airport in 2017 trying to bring gang uniforms into Western Australia.

His visa was cancelled on 'character grounds' and he was put on a plane back to New Zealand.

Australian Border Force WA regional commander Rod O'Donnell said they wanted to protect the community from 'violent' gangs ...

Joined: Tue Jan 31, 2012 11:05 amPosts: 19368Location: End of the road, turn right and first house on the left

kiap wrote:

Thomas wrote:

Wow

Quote:

Individual Australians can be the nicest people in the world, but I am sure I am not alone in having noticed an increasing intolerance of other views, an unwillingness to consider the interest of others, and a harder-edged nationalism in the voice and face that Australia now displays to the rest of the world, and not least to their friends.

Look, call me intolerant and unwilling to consider the interests of others but I think this bloke is a bit of a cunt.

Looks like a stick up his arse.

Let's hope he was at Auckland airport displaying his welcome home face to these friends:

Notoriously violent Mongrel Mob street gang members booted back to New Zealand as they try to grow their crew

By Ben Hill10 March 2018

A notorious street gang looking to set up in Australia has had its members kicked out of the country.

... The Mongrel Mob has attempted to gain a foothold in Perth by moving members to the city from other Australian chapters or from New Zealand.

The gang also has its own Facebook page, 'Mongrel Mob Australia', featuring photos of heavily-tattooed gang members riding motorcycles.

Police have been working to identify members of the gang who are not Australian citizens and can therefore be targeted for deportation.

One of the gang members to be deported was senior leader Joe Edmonds who was caught at Perth Airport in 2017 trying to bring gang uniforms into Western Australia.

His visa was cancelled on 'character grounds' and he was put on a plane back to New Zealand.

Australian Border Force WA regional commander Rod O'Donnell said they wanted to protect the community from 'violent' gangs ...

On a slight tangent, the missus and I have been watching a lot of house renovation shows at the moment as we are about to start building a house ourselves...and one of the oddities we've come across (given that NZ doesn't really do any of it's own shows, and instead imports from Aus, UK and USA) is how mean the Ozzie's are.

Invariably, theses show start with a house that's a bit rundown, and then some experts come along and fixes it up. So far, so similar...but in a twist, when the Aussie experts turn up, instead of being polite, they just laugh in the face of the people they are there to help. They get properly stuck in, having a go at the shitty house that the people have, in many cases, lovingly raised their family in.

I find it a bit bizarre really. Even if what they are saying is technically true...you'd expect people to be a bit more tactful (as they invariably are in the UK and US versions).

Quote:

Selling Houses Australia is an Australian reality and lifestyle TV series, based on the British show of the same name. The series follows property owners who are having difficulty selling their home. The show is hosted by English property expert and author Andrew Winter,

On a slight tangent, the missus and I have been watching a lot of house renovation shows at the moment as we are about to start building a house ourselves...and one of the oddities we've come across (given that NZ doesn't really do any of it's own shows, and instead imports from Aus, UK and USA) is how mean the Ozzie's are.

Invariably, theses show start with a house that's a bit rundown, and then some experts come along and fixes it up. So far, so similar...but in a twist, when the Aussie experts turn up, instead of being polite, they just laugh in the face of the people they are there to help. They get properly stuck in, having a go at the shitty house that the people have, in many cases, lovingly raised their family in.

I find it a bit bizarre really. Even if what they are saying is technically true...you'd expect people to be a bit more tactful (as they invariably are in the UK and US versions).

Quote:

Selling Houses Australia is an Australian reality and lifestyle TV series, based on the British show of the same name. The series follows property owners who are having difficulty selling their home. The show is hosted by English property expert and author Andrew Winter,

On a slight tangent, the missus and I have been watching a lot of house renovation shows at the moment as we are about to start building a house ourselves...and one of the oddities we've come across (given that NZ doesn't really do any of it's own shows, and instead imports from Aus, UK and USA) is how mean the Ozzie's are.

Invariably, theses show start with a house that's a bit rundown, and then some experts come along and fixes it up. So far, so similar...but in a twist, when the Aussie experts turn up, instead of being polite, they just laugh in the face of the people they are there to help. They get properly stuck in, having a go at the shitty house that the people have, in many cases, lovingly raised their family in.

I find it a bit bizarre really. Even if what they are saying is technically true...you'd expect people to be a bit more tactful (as they invariably are in the UK and US versions).

Quote:

Selling Houses Australia is an Australian reality and lifestyle TV series, based on the British show of the same name. The series follows property owners who are having difficulty selling their home. The show is hosted by English property expert and author Andrew Winter,

That's one of the lads!

He's obviously assimilated, as you wouldn't get away with some of the stuff he says on the OZ show were he back in Blighty. The Aussie bint that works with him is equally caustic in her statements.

There's only the odd standout knobhead sportsperson, IMO. How is Kyrgios perceived in Aus? He has one of the lamest temperaments of any sportsperson I've seen. Total wanker.

There is a hard edge to many Aussie sportspeople, but I don't have an issue with it on the whole. You do notice a contrast in behaviour with some who've crossed the ditch. Guys like Willie Mason and Russell Crowe just wouldn't have the same personality had they stayed in NZ. There'd potentially be other downsides, maybe Mason would habitually say 'chur' for example.

He's obviously assimilated, as you wouldn't get away with some of the stuff he says on the OZ show were he back in Blighty. The Aussie bint that works with him is equally caustic in her statements.

Except that it was his show in England (of the same name) that he imported here and the sarcasm was what made it popular in the first place

Can't say I watched his show (or any show like that tbf) back when he was in the UK...but, as stated, his show in OZ is like night and day compared to the way the presenters address ordinary folk on the other current shows from the UK and USA.

Maybe it's less an OZ thing, and more a peculiarity to that fella's show.

There's only the odd standout knobhead sportsperson, IMO. How is Kyrgios perceived in Aus? He has one of the lamest temperaments of any sportsperson I've seen. Total wanker.

There is a hard edge to many Aussie sportspeople, but I don't have an issue with it on the whole. You do notice a contrast in behaviour with some who've crossed the ditch. Guys like Willie Mason and Russell Crowe just wouldn't have the same personality had they stayed in NZ. There'd potentially be other downsides, maybe Mason would habitually say 'chur' for example.

There's only the odd standout knobhead sportsperson, IMO. How is Kyrgios perceived in Aus? He has one of the lamest temperaments of any sportsperson I've seen. Total wanker.

There is a hard edge to many Aussie sportspeople, but I don't have an issue with it on the whole. You do notice a contrast in behaviour with some who've crossed the ditch. Guys like Willie Mason and Russell Crowe just wouldn't have the same personality had they stayed in NZ. There'd potentially be other downsides, maybe Mason would habitually say 'chur' for example.

Having just had a look, I don't think it was a particularly successful show in the UK .There are no links in a general search to him other than those from his time in OZ on the first page, and even if you restrict the search to anything prior to 2005, you only get a handful of searches returning.

Ergo, his style of acerbic sarcasm seems to have struck a particular chord with Ozzies (He has won the ASTRA subscriber's choice award for Favourite Male Personality in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014), whereas he was a bit of a nobody on the UK scene.

The footage of him being bundled off to a detention centre in the middle of the night was pretty funny.How he was only given 12 months probation after the initial court case was incredible.He’ll be regretting acting the dickhead outside the courtroom now.

Selling Houses Australia is a great show. My wife loves it which means I also love it.

I understand where you're coming from when the ENGLISH host gets a little narky but you need to understand the context. He is essentially trying to help people who have had their house on the market for a long time...sometimes years.

I saw one episode where the house appeared to be growing in a dense jungle and the owner didn't think that the fact there was no floor in one of the bedrooms would be a hindrance on it's appeal to a buyer.

"Yeah, nah, we've been wanting to get that fixed for a while now. The house has been on the market for 4 years and we've only had one offer and that was for $10K and a booklet of 2 for 1 pizza vouchers..."